Into the Woods
by ashstar54321
Summary: Emily and Victor's daughter cannot stand her parents fighting over where she will go to school, so she runs away from home. Actually better than my synopsis. K to be safe.
1. Chapter 1

Emma Van Dort woke up with a stretch. It was a dreary, cold, Saturday morning, about seven am. She yawned. She had arranged to meet Jayde Avian and Livvy Wolffe in the woods at ten, as was their custom. They had something special planned today. Emma walked up the full size mirror hanging on the wall. She was a tall, slim girl for her age. Her skin was a pale blue, her hair deep navy. To be honest, she looked a lot like her mom, Emily Van Dort. Jayde looked more modern, jeans and a sweatshirt, a normal girl, but with large, white, swan-like, wings. Livvy looked relaxed, a blonde girl in a t-shirt and Capri's, but with a wolf's tail, ears, and snout. Scraps, the family dog, a lively little skeleton pup, once belonging to her father wandered in. He let out a small yip, as if to say _'You're awake! Finally!', _and hopped up onto her bed, burrowed under the covers and curled up into a ball. She shuffled into her slippers and pulled on a bath robe over her long, night gown. She and her friends had something special planned: it was almost her mom and dad's fifteenth wedding anniversary. Emma, Jayde, and Livvy were going to decorate the oak tree where her parents had met for the first time.

Emma shuffled downstairs, thinking of the day to come. She sat down at the round breakfast table, next to her mom. "Morning, mom,"

"Morning, Emma darling. Off to the woods today?" asked her mother.

"Yeah. I'm meeting Livvy and Jayde. Why?"

"No reason, just curious," was the answer. Emma nibbled two pieces of bacon.

"Where's dad?"

"The office. He won't be back till late tonight." Her father was a Lepidopterologist* of great renown. He loved butterflies, mostly because they reminded him of his bride. Emma groaned. Her dad did love her, but he was always away on business. Just moving here, school started in a month. She had to choose between the Land of the Dead and the Land of the Living. She shrugged. Emma packed a light lunch, a sandwich and a bottle of water. Then she pulled on a long, flowing crème colored dress, black sandals, and pulled a brush through her cascade of dark curls.

"Catch ya later. Won't be back for a couple hours," Emma said breezing through the back door.

"All right then…" sighed Emily. She loved her daughter with all her heart. But she could be so… distant.


	2. Chapter 2

When Emma got to the woods, Jayde and Livvy were already waiting for her. Livvy had already lived in these parts for a couple years, and had a small cabin in the back of the woods, where no one, not even Emma, dared to go. Jayde was new to the town, moving in only about a month ago. She was really beautiful, a graceful as a swan. She had moved in from another village. She was really sweet, and sort of shy. Emma wished she knew her better. She was still kind of shy when it came to Jayde and Laura, they were smart, kind, beautiful, and people like that made her feel shy.

"Hey, guys! What's going on?"

"You ready to decorate the oak?" Asked Livvy. Livvy was more outgoing, more energetic. She balanced Jayde out perfectly.

"Yeah! I can't wait to see the look on their faces. Mom and dad have been arguing lately. This will hopefully remind them of their love."

"What's wrong?" asked Jayde, the caring soul she was. The wings gave the illusion of her being an angel, which she could to be at times.

"School starts in a month. You know my dad's alive, and mom's dead. He loves her, but doesn't want his daughter out partying in the Land of the Dead. He thinks I should have a 'normal' education in the Land of the Living. Mom thinks I should enjoy myself. They fight sometimes and I just want to leave the-! That's it! Livvy, you know about the woods more than anyone. Jayde, you know your mom says you can spend some time out on a self-dependant camping trip. I really wish mom and dad would stop arguing, and maybe it's up to me to stop it! How about Jayde and I move out to the woods, in the huge hollow oak? The root system is already hollowed out, thanks to an old badger that used to live there. It's about six feet deep, and twenty feet in diameter, more than large enough to house me and Jayde until mom and dad get over their differences!" Livvy turned to her and said quite plainly,

"Emma Van Dort, you are CRAZY!" Jayde spoke up, a hint of suppressed excitement in her voice.

"Actually," she said quietly, "I think it's a great idea. I've always wanted to do that, stay in the woods with just a friend or two." She noted, giggling.

"Then it's settled! But first, we decorate the oak. I will see you later, and give you a set of instructions."

They decorate the gnarled, ancient oak tree with a thin, spongy cloth. It glimmered in the afternoon sun, like dew drops collected on a spider web. It looked magnificent, ornately decorated with the layer of glittering cobwebs, as well as a broad layer of ivy tendrils, and a carving Victor had etched into the bark on the first night of his marriage to Emily. It was a roughly hewn heart, with the words _I love you, and always will, until the day I die and beyond, my heart will never beat for another –Victor and Emily, 1807 _Emma had taken out her pocket knife, a gift for her twelfth birthday and with utmost care, scraped the debris of ages out of the words, making them look like they had when they had been written into the plant. Afterward, Livvy collected some bright red berries and squeezed them into a fine juice, the brightest crimson color, like a fiery passionate love. Using a delicate willow frond, Jayde carefully outlined the carvings with the makeshift paint. It gave the message a lustrous appearance. Livvy, being a bit of a romantic, despite her tomboyish nature, grinned.

"They are going to love this!"


	3. Chapter 3

Emma said goodbye and thank you to Jayde and Livvy and headed for home. When she arrived, she went straight up to her room and began to pack. Into a worn old duffle bag went a quill and some ink, a journal, her field guide on plants and animals including which ones are edible, medicinal qualities, and other uses, some clothing, matches, an axe, her old pocket knife, a large reel of wire, and a blanket. Her father's calls jerked her from concentration.

"Emma! Come down for dinner!" she stuffed her bag back under her bed. Emma ran down the stairs and down to the table. Her father had prepared a meal of beef stew, corn hash, and plum pudding for dessert. "Are you ready for school in _the Land of the Living_?" he asked with anticipation.

"Now, Victor, dear. School doesn't start for another month. No need to pressure Emma about it for a while yet."

"Actually, dad, I was thinking about going with mom."

"You're not serious. If you go down, you will only get to see me once a year! You expect me to be ok with that?"

"Now, darling, you knew she had to choose sometime, and we both agreed to accept whatever decision she made." Said her mother with a grin. The bickering raged on for a few minutes before Emma broke in

"If you do not stop this arguing, I will leave this house. I'm serious, so I suggest you stop." Of course, they didn't hear her, so Emma ran to her room. She slung the bag over her shoulder, changed into jeans and a pale blue t-shirt, and scrawled a quick note.

_Dear Mom and Dad,_

_ I knew in advance this day would come. I have run away from home. When you agree to stop arguing, leave a note on the Old Oak in the woods._

_ -Emma_

She said a quick goodbye to Scraps, took a deep breath, and opened the window. She climbed carefully onto the rooftop, as agile as a cat. Emma leapt off the roof and landed silently on the porch. She cast a glance to the house she was leaving, and bolted into the woods.


	4. Chapter 4

When she arrived, Jayde was already there. She had brushed the leaves and natural debris out from the 'home' they were staying in. Emma immediately got to work. There was a large pillar in the middle, a column that ran from floor to ceiling, made of solid oak. It was probably about five feet around. Emma got to work, hacking away with her axe until she had hollowed it out. This would be her fireplace. Meanwhile, Jayde got to work collecting fuel for the fire. They stacked the inner wall of the fireplace with stones, filled it with wood, and soon had a roaring fire. Then there was the problem of food. Being half dead, Emma didn't need to eat or drink for up to a month. Jayde, on the other hand, needed food. Emma was really a bit shy to Jayde, so she snuck out when her comrade was turned the other way. Emma was running through the woods, until her foot caught on a root and came off at the knee. She pulled herself up and hopped over to reattach it. She had the wire slung over her shoulder, and knife in pocket. She took a long coil of wire and formed a tangled almost dream-catcher shape. When stretched, like if a game would run through it, it would stretch into a funnel, and then the more it pulled, the tighter the trap would close around the neck. She liked it so a rabbit could come in and not get out. Then, she camouflaged it. She sat down, took a deep breath, and cried. She cried for her parents, for the decision she had made, the fact that she was alone with Jayde, and that something felt like it was going to go wrong. Of course, it did.

It was about thirty minutes later, when Emma heard a rustle in the bushes. She stood up slowly, and carefully eased over to the bush. She had camouflaged the snare too well. She put her foot right through the middle, and it snagged her, yanking her up in the air by her foot. She was hanging upside down by her ankle (she wasn't lucky- it was the non-skeletal ankle, so she couldn't detach it). She folded her arms across her chest, rolled her eyes at he own idiocy, and began playing damsel in distress. She wasn't close enough for Livvy to hear her, frankly she was in the middle of nowhere, so her best bet was the one person who she was most shy to (actually second most shy- Laura was first!).

"Help!.. Help!.. Jayde!" after about fifteen minutes that got boring. she began to swing herself back and for the, trying to get to the base of the tree so she could unhook herself. Fail. Four hours later Jayde showed up. As if being an awkward half corpse isn't bad enough.

"So explain to me again why you were out here?"

"I was trying to find food for you."

"Why?"

"To thank you for your help with me running away from home." she just sighed and rubbed her temples. Emma thought _I am such an idiot. _And then they went back, arm in arm, Jayde mildly annoyed, Emma considering her own idiocy.


	5. Chapter 5

At home, they settled down a bit. No game was caught, so it was a meager dinner of roots roasted in the coals of the fire. Emma stretched out her blanket, and tucked it around her. Jayde, on the other hand, was less fortunate. She was curled up in a pile of leaves, asleep and shivering, with her wings tucked around her. Emma silently got up, so as to not wake up the sleeping form of her friend, and laid the blanket over Jayde's body. Emma settled down one last time, and fell into a fitful slumber.  
_"W-where am I?" it was a blindingly bright morning, and Emma was sitting in her bed at home. Her parents were kneeling at the side. Emily threw up her hands.  
"Finally! Emma, darling, we've missed you so much! Now, your father and I have promised never to argue about where you will go to school again. But we must ask… where?"  
_ "Ah! M-mom? D-d-d-dad?"  
"Mourning, Emma. Mad us a breakfast of swallow's eggs and nuts!" said Jayde happily. There was a whooshing sound over head. A flutter a wings and a startled gasp later, Laura was standing in the middle of the clearing.  
"Hey, Jayde. Mom told me to check on you guys," said Laura. "But you seem alright so.." Emma limped towards her friend's sister. "Oh my goodness! Emma! Your ankle!" Emma had forgotten Laura's admirable ability to act as a healer. She had an extensive knowledge of herbs and medicinal plants.  
"Aw, it's n-nothing. I caught myself in m-my own r-rabbit snare, th-that's all." One thing Emma hated about herself was that whenever faced with the idea of talking to Laura, she was overcome by the girl's wonder that she became a tongue-tied, bumbling fool. Being _half_ corpse, she only has no sense of pain for up to a week at a time. Every other week, she felt pain just like a normal person. Looked like her week was up. She ground her teeth, because the pain of torn muscles in her ankle, along with the pricks of the barbs was setting in fast. She had gotten used to sudden pain every once in a while, like the time she fractured her arm, but she still ground her teeth in a futile attempt to ignore the pain. "It's fine…I…promise."  
"It doesn't look fine. It looks like it hurts. Jayde, go fetch me some moss, preferably wet. Now then let's get you settled down." Emma just nodded blankly, a giddy smile on her lips. The particles of new spring leaves floated lazily through the thick, warm air, casting dappled shadows on the forest floor. And in the middle of it all stood Laura Avian, wings spread out behind her like a cloak, her blonde hair fell in ringlets down her back. She was dressed in a white tunic, like the ones deities wore in Greek lore. The gold chain wound round her neck and the creamy brown fur lined boots completed the look. She was an angel, for just that moment, Emma Van Dort stood in the presence of an angel sent from above.


	6. Chapter 6

It was a quiet afternoon. Jayde came back with the wet moss, and Laura wrapped it around Emma's ankle. After that, Emma settled down in a nest of dried grass. She took out her notebook and wrote until it was late in the evening. She wrote of the feelings she had for the Avians, the mortifying moment when Jayde found her hanging upside-down in a snare of her own design, the child like joy of having Laura wrap her ankle in cool, wet moss. Laura had agreed to stay with them until dinner. She had gone out to find a meal, and came back with a fine trout, which Emma filleted and seared on the coals of the fire. A better dinner was never had. After that, Emma fell asleep.  
"You passed out somehow. I'm going to go get some dinner," it was the next evening.

"No, no. Please, allow me." she stood slowly, leaning on the wall to get her balance. She wobbled for a moment, but could walk pretty well, considering she had been knocked out and probably dislocated her ankle. She ambled out of the door, and ran (as well as she could). Her foot caught on a root, again snapping off. She hobbled over and reattached it with a crunch. She kept on running. The emotions she kept welled up inside began to emerge; hot tears began to streak down her pale face. She wiped them away with a bony hand. She finally just fell to her knees. _This isn't what I wanted! Or is it? I wanted to get along and be fine. But I get to be with Laura and Jayde! Ha, I even wanted to be the heroine! I'm not jealous; I don't even know why I'm crying. I should be happy! But I'm not. I'm just a bumbling fool, trapped with the two people I admire most in the world. _She cried for another moment, and then let out a burst of giddy laughter. _You're not really cross, Emma. You're just not yourself. Now let's catch some dinner!_ She calmed down, and dried her tears. She reached into the river, trying to grab a fish.

Her hand stuck under a log, and by some unlucky miracle, Emma was pulled into the rapids. Spluttering and kicking, she was almost sure she knew what would happen. She would go floundering by the part near the oak tree, Jayde would see her, and she would be fine. A moment later, Jayde was pulling Emma to shore with a stick, and Emma was desperately clutching a fish she had caught. This time, instead of panicking, she just laughed. "Well, Jayde, at least I got the dinner!" they cut the fish apart and served it with red berries. Emma, no matter how much pain her ankle caused, could not be sick. It was one of the odd perks that came with being half dead.

It was about midnight when it happened. Emma was having the now recurring dream of her parents, and Jayde was asleep. Emma was pulled from the twisted world of her now nightmarish dream by a noise she was not expecting. It was a moan from Jayde, and when she sat up, she could see Jayde rolling on the ground, clutching her stomach. She was covered in sweat, but her skin was ice cold to the touch. Emma knew what to do. Laura had told her to come get her if she ever needed it. Now she needed it. She lurched out of the tree, panting. She knew there were a lot of loose tree branches, and nighttime plus her horrendous luck plus possibly dangerous falling objects meant something bad. She was almost to the river, almost to Laura. A gust of wind, an ominous creaking, and *CRASSSSH*. The limb toppled down, knocking Emma unconscious for the second time in tow days. Laura heard the racket, thinking something wrong, rushed out to the bank. On the other side of the raging torrent she saw what looked like the form of a sleeping wolf, but slightly bigger, slumped on the ground. She flew over the stream, curiosity getting the better of her. _Oh my gosh! Emma! But then… where's Jayde? I know I promised never to do this… but… I have to find Victor and Emily! _Laura wanted to run all the way to town, but that would take too long. She put her flight talent to good use, and flew over the wood until she landed on the Van Dort's front stoop. She burst through the door. Emily was sobbing on Victor's shoulder.

"Mr. and Mrs. Van Dort! No time to explain. Emma and Jayde need your help!" they gave each other a worried glance. Her blonde curls were strewn carelessly over her shoulder, barefoot, cold sweat pouring down her face. The trio ran to the oak. They split up, Laura trying to recover Emma and Victor and Emily staying in the makeshift home, trying to decide what was wrong with their daughter's friend. The sad part was that only Laura and Jayde had any medical knowledge, and Jayde was too sick to say anything but 'Emma… Laura…' About an hour later, Livvy Wolffe showed up. A moment later, Laura finally came back. She did not fly, because she needed to save energy for the trek back with Emma.

"Livvy! Good thing you're here. I need yarrow, and lots of it, and moss. Soak the moss in the river bed if you can,"

"Right on it." She nodded once, and bolted into the darkened woods. Meanwhile, Victor paced aimlessly back and forth between the oak tree and his unconscious daughter. He made a silent promise to himself that if she ever woke up, he and his wife would never argue about her education again. Emily looked on, deep in thought. Everything that had happened to Emma always spiraled back to her. Her and Victor. She offered to help Laura, but there wasn't much she could do, she had no medical knowledge. She sat and watched Laura apply gentle pressure to Emma's neck. After ten minutes of tension and worry, she let out a soft moan. Emma sat up very slowly and rubbed her head. She blinked sleepily and sat bolt upright. She was leaning on Laura Avian, who may have just saved her half life? No. Things like that were too cool to happen to her, but then again she had been living with Jayde Avian for the past week. Livvy came dashing back into the clearing. Laura had moved and began to rub Jade's face, at least trying to dry the sweat dripping down her cheeks. Laura gratefully took the herbs Livvy had found. She mashed the yarrow root into an almost liquid like paste, combined with some of the moss. She dripped this slowly down Jade's throat. The girl gave a twitch, her eyes flew open and she sat bolt upright, screaming 'Emma!'. She blushed tomato red, and lay back down. By now Livvy was sitting numbly, watching the action. Victor hadn't stopped pacing and muttering to himself. Emily was talking in hushed tones to her daughter, whispering something to calm her. Emma was laying her head in her older sister's lap, moaning and mumbling about her week.


	7. Chapter 7

An hour later it was time to leave. Emily took it upon herself to finish packing, so she did. By the time everything was done, the leaves had been swept out; the duffle bag had been packed. The six headed for home. The Avian sister flew to their cottage, and prepared for bed, Livvy flopped into her nice pile of blankets and pillows, but the Van Dort's were a flurry of excitement. First, Emma had a nice long shower, scrubbing away a week's worth of grime and dirt. Then the residents of the Van Dort household put on pajamas and settled down. Emma sat on her bed, exhausted from the busy week. Victor occupied the padded chair, and Emily simply knelt by her bedside.

"Tell us everything! Why did you run away? What was it like? Was it hard?" Emma was bombarded by questions endlessly. She gave a full description, not forgetting a single moment, from that first moment she was out the door to where she was currently. Her mother and father drank in every detail, with a bit of child-like naivety, like a small child listening to a favorite story. There was a long silence at the end, punctuated by sobs from Emma. She was… she didn't know how to describe it. Finally Emily broke in. she sauntered over, and rubbed her daughter's bony shoulder.

"Emma, darling, I'm sorry. It was wrong for us to argue so much about your decision. Victor? What did we decide?

"Your mother and I have agreed to never argue about where you will go to school again… but we must ask… what is your decision?"


End file.
